Signal connection



Jari 26, 1932 A. 1. .WOODRING SIGNAL CONNECTION Filed May 17, 1950I//I//lll ENTOR A Z Woocra'?? AT RNEY Patented Jan. 26, 1932 ALBERTO I.WOODRING, OF WATERLOO,

PATENT OFFICE IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL SAFETY DEVICES COMPANY, OFWATERLOO, IOWA SIGNAL CONNECTION Application filed May 17,

My invention relates to improvements in signal connections, and anobject of my improvements is to supply for use on locomotives and thelike, means having alternative devices for actuating `a signal thereon,said devices having a tight-and-loose connection permitting either to beactuated independently of the other as desired, or according to thecircumstances of the case.-

Another object is to include means for driving one of said devices bycontrolled fluid pressure, for the purpose of relieving an operator froma greater physical strain incident to the use of the other device.

I have successfully accomplished these obliects in actual practice bythe means which are hereinafter described and claimed, and which areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a mediallongie 20 tudinal section of the frame and other elements of saidtight-and-loose connection, with parts in side elevation or broken away.Fig. 2 is a top plan of said parts with the top closure removed, andparts broken away. 25 Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the broken line3-3 of said Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic side elevation of saiddevice as operatively connected between a whistle signaling device, anengineers hand lever, and anl air- 30 pressure valvular device foralternative use.

My invention is not restricted to the precise construction andarrangement of parts herein shown and described, nor to the variousdetails thereof, as the same may be modified or rearranged in variousparticulars without departing from the spiritand scope of my invention,one practical embodiment of which has been herein illustrated anddescribed without attempting to show all of the various forms andmodifications in which my invention might be embodied.

VReferring to Fig. 4, the numeral 2O denotes a locomotive whistle signalwhich includes the usual valve openable against steam pressure tosoundthe signal by the use of the 1930. Serial No. 453,398.

well-known engineers hand lever 29 having linking means to be describedwith the operating arm for said whistle, in the cab 3l.

I have included intermediate apparatus between said' hand-lever 29 andsaid whistle lever 2G. This is shown in the other figures, in which themoving elements are in initial position as before an actuation tooperate said whistle signal. In passing, I would say that my inventionis applicable to other descriptions ofsignaling devices than that shown,with any variation in elements and adjustments which may be necessary toaccfgompllish the particular purpose as above set ort Y Referring tosaid Fig. 1, the numeral 1 denotes a frame having along its toplongitudinally and medially a grooved bearing seat 4 for a slide 7covered by a top closure 12 secured removably by screws 13, and one endof said closure has depending side members 12 (see Fig. 4), which closejoints at that end of the-device as against penetration of moisture, iceor dust. The frame l has an integral piston chamber 2 having a reentrantapertured central boss or bearing projection to seat slidably the stem24 of a piston 24 closely and imperforately fitting the cylindricalcavityof the chamber. A coiled compression spring 23 in the chamberbears against said piston tending yieldably to keep it in its inertposition shown. The piston chamber has an exhaust port, and at its outerend has a communication with a conduit 25 leading into an operatingvalve 32, the latter device having` an inlet conduit 34 to communicatewith the engine reservoir (not shown) of compressed air, and the valvein said device 32 may be manually operated easily within the cab 31 bythe arm 33. This operating valve is not described in detail, as it isthe subject of my United States Patent No. 1,511,554, October 14, 1924,but other suitable valvular means may be used instead if desired.

The frame 1 has a cavity 3 between its side walls below the slide 7 and'opening into the slideway 4, and in communication also with theapertured seat in said piston chamber boss, so that the piston stem 24is movable into the cavity 3 to engage and push a depending projectionor arm 22 on the slide 7 a distance limited in travel by impinging thepart 22 against an adjustable screw 5 held in adjustment by a nut 6.

The slide 7 has a central bore 17, stopped' at one end and open at theother, within which is slidingly seated a slide-member 18 to projectfrom its open end and having there a fork and pintle connection at 27 toan adjusting device 2S with a connecting rod 26 to the engineer-s handlever 29. The slide 7 has a longitudinal bottom slot 16 into whichdepends the stem of a headed pin 19'seated in an apertured seat in theslide-member 18 to limit the movements of the latter. Oil-cups 14 maydeliver' liquid lubricant into the slideway 4 through apertures as at 15in the closure member 12. Y u

The opposite end of the slide 7 has a diminished rigid longitudinalprojection 8 having a fork and pintle connection 9 with an adjustingdevice 10 connecting with another fork and pintleconnection 11 to a rodlead'- ing to the whistle lever It is obvious that when desired, or whenthere is no supply of compressed air to actuate the piston 24 in saidchamber 2, the engineer may swing the lever 29 up as usual, to shift theslide-member together with the slide 7 and the other connections to thewhistle lever 20, to open the whistle valve. On

with said connections to their initial positions. In case the engineerwishes to operate the whistle by air, he merely depresses the lever arm33 of the operating valve 32, letting air under pressure enter thechamber 2 to push the piston 24, compressing the spring 23, and shiftingtheengaged projection 22 of the slide 7 as far as the stop screw 5,whereby the connections from the slide 7 to the whistle lever actuatesthe whistle, without moving the slide-member 18 from its idle position.This air-actuated operation of the signal spares strain both muscularand nervous of the engineer, and the response of the whistle isimmediate and complete. It will be understood that as the whistle valvemust be opened against relatively large steam head, the operation otopening the valve by the handlever 29 shown is diicult and somewhatimperfect in many cases.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the character described, an operating means for asignal including manually operable and other elements having atight-and-loose connection, and an airdriven member actuable toreleasably engage one of said elements to operate the signal withoutoperating the other elements of said operating means.

2. In a device of the character described, an operating means for asignal including manually operable and other elements having atight-and-loose connection, one element having a projection, and anair-driven member actuable to releasably engage the projection on saidelementto operate the signal without operating the other elements ofsaid operating means.

3. In a device ofthe character described, an operating means for asignal including elements having a tight-and-loose connection, oneelement having a projection, an airdriven element actuable to releasablyengage the projection on said element to operate the signal withoutoperating the other elements of said operating means, and means for adjustably limiting the operating movement of said air-driven element.

4. In a device of the character described, an operating means for asignal including elements having a tight-and-loose connection, and anair-driven device including a resilient member adapted to be placedunder tension during the operating movement of the device, reactively,said air-diven device being actuable to releasably engage one of saidelements to operate the signa Without operating the other element-s ofsaid operating means, and said resilient member returning the air-drivendevice to its initial position after such an actuation. u

5. In a device of the character described, an operating means for asignal includingr manually operable and other elements having atight-and-loose connection, the signal including means operable toreverse it when operated, automatically, and a fluid-pressure deviceengageable with one of said elements releasably to actuate and thenrelease the signal, without operating the other element-sof saidoperating means.

Y6. In a device of the character described, a whistle having anoperating valve normally kept closed by iluid pressure, an elementadapted to move to open said valve releasably, operating means for saidelement including a tight-and-loose connection thereto, a fluid actuatedapparatus having a member engageable with an element Vof said connectionto operate the whistle valve without operating other elements of theconnection, and a valvular device in communication between a supply offluid under pressure and said apparatus, said valvular device includinga controlling valve, with manually operable means for the valve, tosuccessively open and close the valve and said communication to theapparatus.

7. In a device of the character described,

an operating means for a signal, including a frame having a slideway, aslide in said slideWay having a bore, a slide-member Seat ed in saidbore to project at one end therefrom, means for connecting saidslide-memher to said slide for limited longitudinal 1n0vernents,aclosure for said slideway having opposite depending parts to cooperatethe1ewith to close joints, connecting means between said slide and saidsignal, and a Huidpi'essure actuated device engageable with said slideto actuate it in the operation of the signal Without displacing saidslide-member relatively to the said frame.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ALBERTO I. WOODRING.

